Magar uses Facebook to back Downer

Published: Friday, October 1, 2010 at 12:03 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, October 1, 2010 at 12:04 p.m.

BATON ROUGE — The candidate ousted from the GOP primary’s first round last month after finishing last has thrown his support to Hunt Downer of Houma as Saturday’s election nears.

Kristian Magar, an oil-and-gas-company manager from New Iberia, said on his Facebook page Sunday that he will vote for Downer but stopped short of an outright endorsement. Magar said he told voters earlier that he would not make an endorsement.

Magar’s posting goes more into detail about why he’s voting against Jeff Landry, the New Iberia attorney who finished first in the August election. Landry now faces Downer in Saturday’s runoff for the 3rd Congressional District seat.

In an interview Thursday evening, Magar said the accusations made on his Facebook post a directed at Landry — though the post doesn’t mention him by name — and his campaign. It accuses them of stealing yard signs, plagiarizing his speeches, saying things would “get tough on my family” and basically trying to “intimidate” him.

“I have never taken kindly to schoolyard bullies,” Magar says in the post. “I do not intend on putting up with them now. ... I will be voting on Oct. 2 for Hunt Downer for U.S. Congress. Some will question this, and they should. We should all question with boldness.”

Brent Littlefield, spokesman for Landry’s campaign, said this morning that none of Magar’s accusations hold any truth.

“This is all ridiculous,” Littlefield said. “They are obviously false and a case of sour grapes from a bitter candidate. It’s obviously that his neighbors supported Jeff, but this is no way to act.”

The race between Downer, a former state legislator and retired National Guard general, and Landry has been a bitter one, filled with mudslinging and accusatory political ads.

Buddy Boe, Downer’s campaign manager, said his candidate appreciates the support from Magar.

“After the election, he said he would not endorse anyone and we didn’t apply any pressure,” Boe said. “We just wanted a friendship, and we are very honored and appreciate his vote.”

<p>BATON ROUGE — The candidate ousted from the GOP primary's first round last month after finishing last has thrown his support to Hunt Downer of Houma as Saturday's election nears.</p><p>Kristian Magar, an oil-and-gas-company manager from New Iberia, said on his Facebook page Sunday that he will vote for Downer but stopped short of an outright endorsement. Magar said he told voters earlier that he would not make an endorsement.</p><p>Magar's posting goes more into detail about why he's voting against Jeff Landry, the New Iberia attorney who finished first in the August election. Landry now faces Downer in Saturday's runoff for the 3rd Congressional District seat.</p><p>In an interview Thursday evening, Magar said the accusations made on his Facebook post a directed at Landry — though the post doesn't mention him by name — and his campaign. It accuses them of stealing yard signs, plagiarizing his speeches, saying things would “get tough on my family” and basically trying to “intimidate” him.</p><p>“I have never taken kindly to schoolyard bullies,” Magar says in the post. “I do not intend on putting up with them now. ... I will be voting on Oct. 2 for Hunt Downer for U.S. Congress. Some will question this, and they should. We should all question with boldness.”</p><p>Brent Littlefield, spokesman for Landry's campaign, said this morning that none of Magar's accusations hold any truth.</p><p>“This is all ridiculous,” Littlefield said. “They are obviously false and a case of sour grapes from a bitter candidate. It's obviously that his neighbors supported Jeff, but this is no way to act.”</p><p>The race between Downer, a former state legislator and retired National Guard general, and Landry has been a bitter one, filled with mudslinging and accusatory political ads.</p><p>Buddy Boe, Downer's campaign manager, said his candidate appreciates the support from Magar.</p><p>“After the election, he said he would not endorse anyone and we didn't apply any pressure,” Boe said. “We just wanted a friendship, and we are very honored and appreciate his vote.”</p>